Writing in the Garden Angela F. Foster and Candace Simar The FARM GIRLS! Writing Class for All Genres “Revision: Dig Into the Edit” Cost $50 Friday, July 24, 2015 10:00 a.m. To 4:00 p.m. Brainerd-Baxter, MN Call Angela to Register 612-242-8911 Space is Limited This day of learning, writing and creativity is suitable for all genres. The class will be held Friday, July 24, 2015, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Class sessions will take place in the house, but participants are free to spend breaks and writing sessions in Bev’s beautiful garden. Location: 6584 Parkville Circle, Baxter, MN 56425 Writer and artist, Bev Abear, has offered her home and gardens for this unique writing retreat and class. Our day together will be productive, but casual and fun! The morning...

Angela’s Turn: The Baton Blog Hop. The baton was passed to me by author Cindy Zelman, author of What’s in a Butch’s Purse and Other Humorous Essays. The book includes seven short essays that can be read in less than an hour. Most of them have been published online, but now they are available as a collection. Hopefully, the writing will make you laugh. Cindy has found that both men and women, straight or gay, enjoy these pieces, because really, relationships are relationships. A dysfunctional romantic interlude always leads to disaster no matter who you are. You can find more information about Cindy Zelman at www.cindyzelman.com. The chapbook is available for pre-order as a print book and available immediately as an e-Book. If you want to...

January 11: MEMOIR I January 25: MEMOIR II Do you have a story to tell but need a nudge to get it on the page? Or are you ready to revise some of the work you have already written? In this class, we will study the elements of writing an engaging personal story — dialogue, setting, description and scene. Through a variety of fast moving writing exercises, we’ll dig deep to find the great stories. There will be time to share your work with fellow students and receive feedback on your work. Bring your ideas and your questions and let’s write some great stories! Instructor: Angela Foster teaches memoir at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, MN and holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Nonfiction from Pine Manor College in Boston, MA. February 8:...

Stories need interesting characters and there is one thing you must know about your character before you put a word on the page: What does he/she want more than anything? If you know the answer to that question before you begin, the emotion behind the answer will drive your character (and your story) forward. Think about your favorite movie or book. Chances are you will see how the protagonist’s yearning moved the story forward from the beginning to the end. P. S. I’m booking work for February now. If you are interested in a manuscript critique or my editing services, please contact me. I’d love to read your work.

Fiction author, Candace Simar, and Literary Publicist and Marketing Consultant, Krista Soukup, will join me in Sleepy Eye at the W. W. Smith Bed & Breakfast during the weekend of October 18-20, 2013, to present “Writing at the B&B.” The retreat will begin on Friday evening (Oct. 18) with appetizers and a session on “Writing Great Beginnings for Your Prose.” Saturday morning, after breakfast in the formal dining room, we’ll be talking about “Writing Without Cliche” and later, “Killing the Passive Voice.” In the evening, Krista will present a special session for writers titled “Marketing for Writers.” Candace and I will wrap the weekend up on Sunday morning (after another gourmet...

I just read a blog post by Rachelle Gardner that summed up my feelings about exclamation points. In most cases, they are unnecessary and annoying. Rachele recommends writers eliminate all of them and I feel the same way. Before sending your manuscript out for publication, find and eliminate those pesky exclamation points. In e-mails and personal correspondence, use them freely! Isn’t that good news?! Here’s Rachele’s post: http://www.rachellegardner.com/2013/07/those-annoying-exclamation-points/